1. Field
Apparatuses and methods disclosed herein generally relate to a user terminal apparatus and a method of control thereof, and more specifically, to a user terminal apparatus which connects to an image forming apparatus and a method of controlling the user terminal apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image forming apparatus operates to print out the print data generated at a user terminal apparatus such as a computer onto a printing material. An example of the image forming apparatus includes a copier, a printer, a facsimile, or a multi function peripheral (MFP) implementing as one apparatus a combination of functions of the copy machine, the printer and the facsimile.
The image forming apparatus performs jobs of printing, scanning and faxing according to controlling of a user terminal apparatus.
A user terminal apparatus is driven by an operating system (O/S). An O/S is a main part of system software and classes of programs providing an interface so that a user may utilize a user terminal apparatus more easily. Although the operation system Windows® 8 is recited herein, other operating systems may also be implemented.
One O/S of a user terminal apparatus, Windows® 8 of Microsoft is a hybrid O/S that supports different types of a plurality of user interfaces (UI). Windows® 8 supports a desktop style user interface (UI) (or desktop UI) which is implemented from an initial Windows® operating system to a Windows® 7 operating system and a new graphic user interface which is a metro style UI (or metro UI, Windows® 8 Style UI, a tile-type UI). The metro style UI implements a metro application that utilizes a design language that has a sleek, modern typography, consolidates groups of common tasks to speed up usage, excludes superfluous graphics, and relies on an actual content to function as a main user interface.
Windows® 8may access applications and contents more conveniently in a tablet and a smart phone, as well as a personal computer by supporting the metro style UI, i.e., the new graphic user interface and providing an interface optimized for touch.
However, the metro style UI environment of Windows® 8 may have several limitations in controlling an image forming apparatus that are unlikely to be encountered in a conventional desktop UI environment.
Specifically, because bulk channel communication of a universal serial bus (USB) at Windows® 8 is limited, both a desktop style UI environment and a metro style UI environment may not be scanned with a USB. Further, even if using a network, because a metro style environment does not support a standard software interface to use image scanners such as Window Image Acquisition (VVIA) and Technology Without Any Interested Name (TWAIN), the metro style UI environment of Windows® 8 does not provide a scan function.
Since the metro style UI environment of Windows® 8 does not have attributes to capture an Internet Protocol (IP) address that is necessary to enable communication of an image forming apparatus connected with a network or Application Program Interface (API), a scan function is not provided.
Information regarding port names and model names to be used in connecting an image forming apparatus to a user terminal apparatus may be obtained with a printer spooler. However, port names may be modified by the user voluntarily, which is already difficult to use. Thus, a method of obtaining an IP address of the image forming apparatus is required.
Further, informing a user of status errors of an image forming apparatus is limited when using the metro style UI environment of Windows® 8. A background program cannot be implemented on Windows® 8, and a user may not be informed if there is an event that logs information concerning status errors. In this case, Windows® 8 creates an event, i.e., logged data, and displays a status error information to inform the user of the status error through a printer driver. However, Windows® 8 compares each status only with EqualTo, NotEqualTo, GreaterThan, and LessThan, and thus, has limitations that do not provide status information on various conditions, or that do not provide status information through a conventionally used interface.
Further, in the metro style UI environment of Windows® 8, a user may enter a background screen of the O/S at any time. Thus, if a user implements jobs of an image forming apparatus and exits a corresponding application, the user cannot check a job processing status of an image forming apparatus on the background screen of the O/S. In addition, if a plurality of image forming apparatuses connect and if many job options should be established, a user is inconvenienced because he needs to implement a corresponding application, select an image forming apparatus to implement a job, and establish respective job options.